VISITORS to this year’s China Hi-Tech Fair have shown strong interest in a local company’s infrared angiograph projection device, which shows enlarged images of blood vessels in hands and arms to help nurses give IV drips.

    The projection device developed by Shenzhen Vivolight Medical Device & Technology Co. is intended to help nurses give IV drips to infants, the elderly and obese patients. Data reported by local Chinese-language media indicates that IV drips fail upon first administration for 28 percent of adult patients and 44 percent of child patients. Nurses need to make three attempts for 43 percent of babies receiving IV drips.

    “Put your hands under the projector and you can see blood vessels under the skin. You can see your blood vessels clearly. It is easy for nurses to find veins for injection,” a visitor surnamed Hu said.

    Vivolight Medical manager Li Zhouzhou said the device utilizes blood vessels’ absorption of near-infrared light, which is different from other tissues’ absorption.

    Through digital image processing, blood vessels can be clearly projected and showed in the skin. The device can help nurses easily recognize blood vessels of 8 to 10mm.

    The device has been approved for market use by the State Food and Drug Administration and already is in use at Shenzhen No. 2 People’s Hospital.

    (Han Ximin, Zhang Jiana)